The Huntress' Vacation
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: After one of Beacon's largest and most unsettling battles, team RWBY retreats to Patch for a bit of rest and relaxation.


**Taking place after The Story Of Zwei, this is the sequel fic branching off after the good ending, so Zwei can have a little vacation together with the girls.**

 **A/N: That this was written before the release of volume 3, so please forgive any inaccuracies dealing with Qrow and TaiYang, as well as their relationship towards one another. TaiYang's weapon was also a huge guess haha**

 **Also, we still don't know much about how Qrow's relationship with Winter will affect how he treats Weiss, but I put in a hint here or there.**

 **And please keep in mind the girls are all older here, seniors in Beacon!**

 **Once more, this is for ChuckleBrotherz! Thank you so much!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

The Huntress' Vacation

The day after Headmaster Ozpin made his announcement of Beacon's school-wide and week-long vacation, the students were bustling with excitement.

Although it was odd to be feeling so happy and carefree after an attack on their beloved Academy, it was Ozpin's way of telling the students not to worry, and that nothing of the sort would ever happen again if he could help it.

As he'd said, he'd teamed up with James Ironwood in order to install various new security equipment, not only on the school's campus itself, but also on any and all Air Ships that were traveling there. They decided to enforce a new rule and give Beacon its own aircraft, so not just any Ships used for public transport could potentially get there. Those ships were also to be equipped with security cameras and other scanners that demanded a person's identification and affiliation with the Academy before they could board.

All of these arrangements would of course require a bit of time where people weren't constantly bustling about, so the vacation was a good way to give students peace of mind and to allow the work to get done.

There was one day in between Ozpin's speech and the day when the Air Ships would come to take the students home. The students used that time to pack their things, rest up, and make plans for their small vacation.

Despite the fact that they were now seniors and arguably much more mature than they had been four years ago, Ruby and Yang had sat on the latter's bed together that afternoon, excitedly chittering together like a couple of squirrels.

Blake and Weiss relaxed on their respective beds, reading and filing nails – to the best of their abilities due to healing injuries – as the two sisters discussed where they should all go on their vacation.

They had taken Weiss and Blake back to Patch with them a few times before over the years, so their partners weren't terribly unfamiliar with the sisters' island home. But in the past several years, there had only been two instances where they'd been able to get all four girls to go to Patch together.

Once, Blake had hung back at the school to have some time to herself, and two other times, Weiss had been forced to go home to her own family.

And the two times when they'd successfully gotten the whole team to go together had been poor in terms of the weather. Once had been during a winter break, and it had been too cold and miserable to go outside very often. The other time had been during the summer, but more than five of the seven days had been drenched by a typhoon off the coast of the island.

In short, the girls had yet to do anything majorly fun together as a team back on Patch.

But as Ruby had researched and joyously announced to the rest of them, the weather for the upcoming week looked very promising, according to her scroll.

As the sisters planned away, one of the first and loudest things out of Yang's mouth was an address to the entire room.

"Bring bathing suits!"

At that, Blake and Weiss had stopped reading and filing to give the blonde a shared skeptical look.

"Bathing suit?" Blake repeated. "I don't exactly have one..."

"Neither do I," Weiss said to them. "And I'd be surprised if either of _you_ did. We came to Beacon to fight monsters, not have pool parties. I'm not exactly prepared to pack for a day at the beach."

Yang frowned at the two as she considered Weiss' words. A tiny tug came on her sleeve and she turned to look at her sister.

"Uhh, Yang? We don't have bathing suits to pack, either."

The blonde blinked, then seemed to remember that she and Ruby hadn't exactly expected to go swimming at Beacon, either.

"Oh yeah, true..." she mumbled. "But hey, we should still have some at home! I told Dad not to touch our clothes and stuff so he probably didn't throw anything away. We can just wear some old ones."

"But what about Weiss and Blake?" Ruby wondered.

For a second, the two aforementioned girls seemed worried that Yang might make the suggestion "They can just wear some of our old ones!" or something like that. But thankfully, Yang shrugged and offered an alternative.

"We can swing by the shop and pick them up some new ones!"

Both Weiss and Blake physically relaxed at that.

"That could work," Blake said.

"I agree," Weiss added. "Plus, it'll give me the opportunity to see what kind of fashion sense has evolved in Patch since the last time I was there."

Yang chuckled.

"Weiss, you're still talkin' to Coco too much. Even though those guys graduated forever ago, you still keep in touch with her just to criticize Remnant's fashion sense, huh?"

"Well, who else is going to do it?"

"I guess you've got a point." Yang then turned to Blake with a smile. "How 'bout Velvet? How's she doing?"

"She's very well. I'll let her know you were asking the next time I talk to her."

As the conversation about their old upperclassmen took off, Ruby leaned back against the pillows and stretched her arms above her head.

Of her teammates, she was the least sore from the battle a few days prior. Weiss' shoulder had been set back into place properly, but it still hurt her to move it certain ways. Blake had been prone to headaches a lot within the past few days. Yang's cuts had all healed, but aura didn't do much for the ugly bruises that circled her stomach beneath her shirt and blotched all along her arms.

Ruby knew a week of relaxation was essential for her team after an almost traumatic battle like the one they'd faced.

She closed her eyes for a moment as her teammates continued to discuss what they should do during their time off. Ruby would've been perfectly content to nap for a while.

But a small whimper caught her ear and had her eyes snapping open again. She looked across the room in the little kitchen area where the carpeted floor turned to tile.

A pudgy little shape was waddling towards her slowly, his paws skidding slightly on the smooth tile. Ruby instantly sat up and threw her legs off the bed, drawing the attention of the other girls.

"Zwei!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing out of bed, mister? You gotta go out?"

Since the battle, Zwei had spent several visits in the wing of the school infirmary that was specifically for the animals. They'd finished patching up the wound in his belly where Cinder had run him through with one of her arrows.

Team RWBY themselves had saved Zwei's life by giving him their auras. They'd extracted the weapon slowly and had stopped the bleeding from becoming too severe. The trained vets in the infirmary had done the rest of the work and stitched him up properly, given him a few shots to kill the pain, and had given strict orders to keep him in bed.

Typically, he'd sleep on each of the girls' beds in turn. But now it was too difficult for him to jump up by himself, and the girls didn't want to risk jostling him in their sleep.

So Zwei's temporary bed was a pile of soft blankets beside his food and water dishes in the kitchen.

As Ruby presently got up and went over to him, Zwei yipped softly and his tail started to wag. She knelt down to rub his back and kiss his head, then carefully gathered him into her arms.

"I'll take him outside real quick."

The others nodded and watched as their leader slipped into a pair of slippers before nudging the door open with her foot. She pushed out into the hallway and the door closed behind her.

"Oh," Yang mumbled after they'd left. "That reminds me. I should get his crate. He's not gonna like it, but we're gonna have to take him onto the Air Ship in that now since he can't walk all by himself yet." She got up and crossed the room to the team's closet, where a small carrier crate sat on the floor, untouched for over a year.

Weiss gave a sympathetic sigh.

"Poor thing..."

Blake reassured her with a smile.

"He's tough. Just like his masters."

"You're certainly right about that," the heiress agreed.

A few minutes later, a struggling little thump came at the door and Yang opened it for her sister. Zwei was in Ruby's arms and straining to lick her cheek as many times as possible before she set him back down onto his blankets again.

They spent the rest of the day finishing up their packing and marveling at how wonderful it felt to have a vacation without any additional school assignments given to them.

Before they knew it, it was suppertime, and then time to sleep.

The four girls made sure to kiss or pet Zwei in his own little bed before retreating to their own. Ruby tucked a blanket over him to keep him warm before flopping onto her bed and setting the alarm for early tomorrow morning.

That night, she dreamt of all the fun things they'd soon do together in Patch.

* * *

They were all up early the next morning preparing to depart.

They didn't have much packed, just one suitcase each, but since they were all still recovering a bit, they took things slowly when making their way through the hallways.

Yang took both her own and Ruby's suitcases while the leader did her utmost to carry Zwei's crate and keep it still.

Boarding the Air Ship after the trek through the hallways and across the courtyard was a great relief, and they soon set down their bags beside the seats they'd selected and had safely put Zwei's crate down as well, the four girls took their seats.

The trip from here to town was about fifteen minutes, but with Patch as their destination now, the ride would be closer to an hour.

During the meantime, Ruby chose to recount all the things they planned to do together, and Yang listened intently, often cutting in to add something. Blake chose to pull out one of her many tomes and read – she'd used to get airsick if she read too much while flying, but over the years she'd successfully conquered that setback. Weiss merely leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, lending one ear to the sisters' conversation as she dozed.

All the while, Zwei sat curled at their feet in his crate, surrounded by a thick wool blanket. Ruby had made sure to throw in his favorite red ball as well, and the corgi presently passed the toy between his front paws.

The leisurely trip passed on slowly as the Ship drifted over several different towns. It made a few stops where its passengers could get up to stretch their legs or saunter into town to grab a bite to eat. By the time the Ship was on its final stretch to Patch, Ruby and her team noticed they were the only people left on-board.

By now, Ruby was as excitable as she would've been four years ago as a freshman. She was kneeling on her seat by the window with her palms pressed to the glass, babbling about the familiar scenery. Yang humored her, but made sure to keep a hand on her sister's back so she wouldn't topple over.

The Ship was flying lower by the minute now, revealing more houses and shops along the coastline. It wasn't long before the vehicle was docking on a platform and an announcement that they'd reached Patch came over the intercom.

The girls stood and stretched and picked up their respective bags while Ruby took Zwei. Despite her excitement to be home again, she walked slowly off the Ship as to look out for her dog. Weiss ended up tipping the Ship's driver a few extra lien as thanks for bringing them all the way here when there were only four passengers.

Once they walked off the Ship, the platform below wasn't terribly crowded. There were about a dozen people standing there, most of which had intent to board the Ship and be taken elsewhere.

But two of the people on the platform didn't move. They merely stood there with expectant gazes that searched the crowds.

As soon as they found what they'd been looking for, two stubbly smiles formed on their lips.

Once she saw them, Yang dropped hers and Ruby's luggage, and Blake needed to jump back to avoid a crushed foot. Ruby placed Zwei's crate down gently at Weiss' boots before hurrying after her sister as she tore off through the small crowd.

Yang sped to cover the distance between herself and the two men, and when she was near enough, she threw herself into the nearest one's arms with a joyous cry.

"Dad!"

Ruby was close behind her and jumped up to hug the other man.

"Uncle Qrow!"

The two men chuckled, one a bit louder than the other.

From what Weiss and Blake could tell, Qrow seemed a bit more refined than the blonde man. He merely patted Ruby's back and murmured affection greetings to her. Whereas TaiYang was hoisting Yang off her feet and bellowing laugh after laugh.

"There are my girls!" he said. "Been waiting for you since you called a few days back about some vacation. It's good to see you two. How've you been?"

"We're fine, Dad," Yang said as she was let down again. "Pretty great, actually! We've got a whole week off to spend with you guys! And our entire team is here this time!" She stepped back to proudly reveal both Blake and Weiss to her father.

TaiYang's expression suddenly changed, as he tried to appear more formal, but to little success.

"It's an honor," he said, dipping his head to the other two girls. "I know I've met you both a few times, but I don't think you've all ever been here together, correct?"

"Yes, sir," Weiss affirmed politely. "It's very good to see you again."

"Weiss, please," the man said casually. "If I've given up calling you 'Miss Schnee', you can give up calling me 'sir'. Same goes for you, Blake."

When she was addressed, Blake nodded.

"It's good to see you again. Thank you for letting us spend the week at your home."

"Don't you girls even mention it!" he grinned. "It's good to have you!"

By this point, Ruby had finished her hug with her uncle and the two sisters switched targets. Blake and Weiss stood a respectful distance back and waited until the sisters had finished with their reunion.

At that point, the two men took turns shaking Weiss' and Blake's hands and offering greetings to them, though Qrow was very brief with Weiss in particular.

At last, TaiYang looked around at their feet.

"Is Zwei with you girls?"

"Yeah, Dad. Here," Ruby said, tugging on his sleeve. She had him kneel down beside her at Zwei's crate.

As soon as the corgi saw TaiYang, he sprung to life in a flurry of excited barks, his tail thumping against the side of the crate. TaiYang smiled and reached his hand toward the little door to let the dog lick him.

"Hey, boy. Why the cage?"

"He's still healing," Ruby informed him. "We just wanted to be safe."

"I get'cha." The man stood once more and took it upon himself to lift Ruby's bag too. "Well now you girls just let Qrow and I help you carry all this to the car. It's your vacation and you don't need to be luggin' all this around if you're still recovering from that nasty fight that's been all over the news."

He and Qrow offered to take the rest of their bags, and at the risk of seeming rude, the girls gratefully let them take their suitcases.

Ruby picked up Zwei's crate again and followed her uncle and father to a waiting black car with red flames and roses painted along the sides. It was an old vehicle, one she remembered selecting together with Yang many years ago. Their father had even let them paint on it.

Once their luggage was secured in the trunk, Ruby placed Zwei's cage in between two of the seats to make sure he wouldn't slide. The two men took the driver's and passengers' seats while the sisters each took one of the middle seats, the ones they'd always sat in even as kids. Weiss and Blake sat in the more-spacious back and kept Zwei's crate from moving on the floor.

As they drove, casual conversation started. Ruby and Yang gabbed away to their family members as they admired the quaint buildings and forests of their hometown.

Weiss and Blake only put in a few comments here or there, or spoke when they were directly addressed. They'd each been to Patch a few times before, particularly to the Rose-Xiao Long residence. But they all knew this time would be a bit more special with all of them here to celebrate.

The car rolled down a small road that soon led them out of town and headed instead for a more forested area. With the windows opened just a crack, a new scent soon filled their lungs.

It was a nostalgic scent for all four girls, one that always served to bring back memories. Salty sea air indicated just how close they were to the coastline, and far above they could make out the squawking of gulls.

Through the trunks of the trees if they squinted a bit, they could just make out the distant sand dunes and a blue horizon beyond.

The car continued onward for several more minutes until it finally rumbled to a halt.

The place Ruby and Yang called home was a moderately-sized place, smaller than Weiss' residence, but larger than Blake's. There were two stories to it in addition to an underground basement. Ruby and Yang had told over and over again how Qrow, TaiYang, and some other relatives had built the house themselves just over three decades ago.

As the car's occupants exited, the girls grabbed their luggage and made a slow procession to the door.

Inside, everything was humble as could be. The living room area consisted of one simple couch, a loveseat on either side, and a small television in the center. The kitchen had long counters set around the room's perimeter. There was a stove, an oven, microwave, cupboard and cabinets. In the middle of it all was a large circular dining table with eight chairs seated around it.

Weiss had once commented to her team how much she enjoyed that dining table.

"It's very personable," she'd said. "Unlike the one I have back home, it's not a rectangle. You're not forced to sit erect and only look at the person across from you. The circular shape isn't so professional and uptight. It allows you to see and be able to communicate with everyone sitting with you. I really like it."

Weiss always loved mealtimes here, and she'd even surrender sleeping in on lazy mornings in order to come down and sit with everyone.

Presently, the girls followed TaiYang's invitation to put all of their bags upstairs in the guest bedroom. But first, Ruby placed Zwei's crate down and let him free at long last. He didn't run as quickly as he should've been able to thanks to his injury.

But he nosed his red ball out of the crate and started chasing it around excitedly, darting off to every part of the familiar house, sniffing and barking. He went to Qrow and TaiYang and accepted their praise of his shining silver and green collar with Beacon's crest carved into it.

Not surprisingly, Qrow took a great interest in Zwei's mechanical paw, and it was clear to the rest of them where Ruby's interest in weaponry truly stemmed from.

As the two men tended to the hyperactive corgi downstairs, the girls filed up the stairs to the second floor. Ruby sped to hers and Yang's room, Weiss and Blake following more quietly behind.

"Home sweet home!" Ruby sighed.

She opened the door to reveal a quaint room. It clearly hadn't been touched much since the last time they'd been here, although things were a bit tidier now. The few articles of clothing that sometimes got strewn about had long-since been picked up, washed, and put back into the drawers for them.

The bunk beds were large, but finally seemed as though they'd be able to accommodate the two grown girls now. In the past, the mattresses had dwarfed them, and many nights they'd shared one bed. But now it was clear they'd be able to rest comfortably in their respective beds.

Ruby didn't need the little ladder leading up to hers any longer. She merely jumped up and flopped down onto freshly-cleaned sheets.

"Ahhh thank god Dad always washes the comforters and stuff before we get here or else it'd smell like dust."

Yang chuckled and put down her own bags before motioning to Weiss and Blake to follow her.

"I know you guys already know where the guest room is, but think of it like a formality kinda thing. I'll _escort_ you," she joked.

The other two rolled their eyes but followed her nonetheless. They'd both already been down this hallway before and knew their way around the house fairly well. But this would be the first time in many years when Weiss and Blake would be staying here together with the sisters.

The guest room consisted of two normal beds, not bunk beds, and each girl felt it would be nice to have someone else in the room this time around. In the past, sleeping alone in a house they each knew was full of kind people whom they loved and respected had been rather difficult.

After so many years sleeping in the same room as their teammates at Beacon, sleeping alone wasn't easy for any of them.

The last time Blake had slept over here alone, she'd ended up venturing into Ruby and Yang's room for most of the nights and had ended up falling asleep on a makeshift bed on their floor.

And the last time Weiss had slept here, the sisters had crept in to keep her company. Ruby had slipped into bed beside Weiss while Yang had taken the other bed.

All in all, they really couldn't sleep alone anymore if they could help it.

Presently, Weiss and Blake each claimed one of the beds and set their bags down to begin unpacking. They'd only brought alone a few changes of clothes for the week-long trip, so it wasn't long before they'd piled up their respective vestments and followed Yang back out.

The blonde went back to retrieve Ruby, and then the quartet meandered back downstairs.

By now, it was already a bit past noontime, and they unanimously decided that they would begin their real vacationing activities tomorrow.

For the remainder of the afternoon, they stayed at the house.

They went outside onto the back porch, where Blake was content to take one of the chairs and read a bit. Yang sat beside her partner and chatted with her father about Beacon in general, and about the most-recent attack.

Ruby played a bit with Zwei in the grass, while Qrow stood off to one side with Weiss, asking her about Zwei's paw and how she'd gone about getting it constructed.

By suppertime, none of them were feeling very in the mood for cooking a meal meant for six, so Ruby's suggestion of ordering pizza was the winner. And rather than sitting down at the kitchen table to eat once it had arrived, the six of them chose to lounge around the living room and watch some television.

Qrow and TaiYang each took one of the cushioned chairs on either side of the room, while the four girls sat together on the big couch.

Ruby and Yang were more than used to this style of having supper, balancing their plates on their laps as they alternated between chewing and talking. Blake was a bit more cautious, setting her plate and slice with anchovies on a small table at one end of the couch.

But poor Weiss was squished in the middle between Ruby and Yang, with the latter repeatedly nudging and teasing her not to drop the pizza and stain her clothes.

By the time Yang had finished her third slice, Weiss was still working on her first, taking care to be extra careful and not ruin her skirt. She kept swatting Yang away and scooching closer to Ruby instead while Blake tried to restrain her partner.

"Come on, Yang," Blake chided. "It took us years to get Weiss to try pizza. Now that she's actually starting to like it, don't taunt her about it."

"Alright, alright," Yang chuckled. "Sorry, princess, I'll stop knocking your knee. Promise."

Weiss grumbled something from behind her napkin and continued eating slowly.

Ruby, on the other hand, was very proud of her partner for trying new junk foods.

"I'm glad you're actually eating pizza, Weiss~! This is a big step for you!"

"A big step towards countless health problems..."

"Aw, lighten up!" Ruby sang. "We're on vacation! I'll make sure we all eat plenty of junk food together, okay? As a team!"

The others laughed while Weiss heaved a long-suffering sigh.

Ruby kept to her promise that evening. After cleaning their plates, Qrow and TaiYang remained in the living room while the girls went down to the basement. Each of the sisters brought a few bags of treats and sugary foods along. Blake took a book with her and Weiss carried Zwei in her arms.

There was another couch down there, as well as another television where Ruby and Yang often plugged in their video games.

They both plopped down onto a few pillows on the floor and started doing just that. Weiss contented herself with spoiling Zwei where he rolled around beside her on the couch, while Blake put her concentration skills to use to read.

Ruby and Yang played round after round of video games, some that centered around fighting and others that dealt with quests and journeys. A few times, the sisters begged their partners to play as well.

It wasn't long before Blake caved, and she actually ended up being fairly good.

Weiss, on the other hand, was confused as to how the controller linked with the on-screen images, complaining that the directions were reversed.

They played racing games together, individually at first, and then split into teams of two. The four separate images on-screen confused Weiss even more, always putting her in last place.

The hours passed by, and the room was constantly filled with lighthearted bickering and laughter.

In the end - and to everyone's surprise - it was Weiss who demanded they all stay and keep playing another round until she "got the hang of this confounded thing".

They ended up staying down there until midnight, but even then, Weiss couldn't manage to get anything better than fourth place. But as she requested another round, the others all yawned and had to refuse.

"We've got all week yet," Yang reminded her. "They're'll be plenty more time for games. Trust me."

"And besides!" Ruby piped up. "We can't stay up too late tonight! We've got big plans for tomorrow!"

"Also," Blake added. "I'm just really tired now."

The sisters quickly agreed to that. Zwei was already curled up and fast asleep on the couch.

Weiss huffed a sigh and complied.

"Fine. But I want a rematch tomorrow night."

"You've got it," Yang promised.

The four of them headed upstairs, Ruby cradling Zwei in her arms.

They took turns in the bathroom, brushing teeth and hair, and getting changed. They wished each other goodnight before splitting into their respective pairs and heading for their bedrooms.

Ruby took Zwei with her and settled him onto her top bunk before climbing in. Yang collapsed ungraciously beneath her.

Things were a bit more refined in the guest room as Blake and Weiss curled up quietly beneath their blankets.

The last few goodnight wishes were murmured before the lights were turned off, and a calm silence enveloped the house.

They slept soundly tonight, knowing they'd need the energy for the eventful days to come.

* * *

By morning light, Ruby was jumping out of bed together with Zwei.

Yang stayed down for a while longer, but when the brunette slipped out into the hallway, she saw that she wasn't the only one awake already.

Blake was just peeking out of the guest room, rubbing her eyes slowly. Ruby skipped over and hugged her good morning.

"Did you sleep okay?" she asked.

"I slept just fine," Blake murmured. "Should we wake Weiss and Yang?"

"Nah, let 'em sleep! It's a vacation, after all. But how would you like to help me make breakfast?"

Blake smiled and nodded.

"Sure."

The two of them made their way down to the kitchen, where Ruby fed Zwei first. She and Blake gathered supplies for making pancakes and prepared the batter together.

Blake did all of the measuring in teaspoons and tablespoons, as she knew the difference between baking powder and baking soda better than Ruby did. Ruby stuck to cracking the eggs and dumping in whatever cups of flour Blake poured out for her.

But Ruby really started to show off her culinary skills when she poured the batter into the pan and managed to flip each and every pancake perfectly, without any splatter at all. All of the pancakes ended up a perfect golden-brown, and a steaming heap of twenty was soon put onto a plate at the center of the table. Blake praised Ruby's skill as she started to clean up.

It wasn't long after that when Qrow and TaiYang each came down from their respective rooms, wishing the girls good morning and thanking them for breakfast.

The scent of food roused Yang shortly afterward, and she was quick to prod Weiss awake so they could stumble downstairs together.

Once everyone was present, Ruby distributed pancakes onto every plate, leaving the leftovers in the middle for anyone who wanted seconds. There were plenty of compliments to the chefs about the taste.

"Thanksh to Blake!" Ruby said around a mouthful. "I almosht ushed shugar inshtead of shalt."

"Why am I not surprised?" Weiss sighed, leaning over to tap her partner's chin to close her mouth.

The meal passed by leisurely, and when it was over Weiss had Yang stay behind to help clean up.

Ruby and Blake took turns in the shower and then changed into casual attire. They still hadn't decided what they were going to do yet today, but they definitely wanted to get out of the house a bit.

It was surprisingly hot out that morning, so the girls made sure to dress lightly. Yang pulled on a bright orange tank top and a pair of black shorts. Blake stuck to white shorts and a dark gray t-shirt, and both girls left their scarves on. Weiss slipped into a blue sundress and decided to keep her hair down for a change. Ruby wrestled herself into a pink t-shirt, red skirt, and black leggings.

Once they were all ready with Zwei scampering about excitedly at their feet, Yang made an announcement.

"Let's hit the shops!"

However, before they could reach the front door, TaiYang and Qrow slipped in front of them.

"Now, now," TaiYang smiled. "I know you're all eager to start your vacation, but I think there's something you two have forgotten," he said, looking to Yang and then Ruby.

The two girls blinked in confusion at first, until a gradual realization formed in their eyes.

"Oh, man!" Ruby said. "That's right! We gotta do that first!"

"Yeah!" Yang pumped a fist into the air. "I'm energized on pancakes so I'm ready anytime!"

Qrow smirked a bit.

"Glad to hear it. There's a section of forest the town was looking to cut down since most of the trees are dead already. That seems like a good place to go."

"Yeah! Yeah!" Ruby clapped. "Let's go, let's go!"

"Alright then," TaiYang grinned. "You know where the weapons are."

* * *

"I still can't believe this," Weiss muttered.

She was sitting on a fallen log beside Blake at the moment, theirs and their partners' handbags in a pile in the grass. Zwei was sitting up straight on the ground, his ears perked forward toward the four members of his adoptive family. Blake already had a book out in her lap and didn't even look up as she addressed Weiss.

"Are you really that surprised? Didn't they do this the last time you came to visit them?"

"Yes," she sighed. "I just can't ever comprehend such a destructive, customary ritual. This family is something else..."

"They are," Blake affirmed, glancing up at her with a quick smile. "But if they weren't this crazy, they wouldn't be them."

"I suppose you're right."

They grew silent as the four people in front of them took up their positions.

For whatever reason, the Rose-Xiao Long family had a strange custom they always partook in, a "welcome home" ceremony of sorts, as TaiYang called it.

But rather than it being a grand feast, a get-together of relatives, or a celebratory day-trip somewhere, they had their own, more deviant way of doing things.

Such as leveling a forest or two.

TaiYang had said this section of woods was dead and decaying due to some plant-oriented disease, and if it stuck around much longer, it would start to spread to healthy parts of the woods.

"The town planned to make arrangements for deforestation," he'd said. "But I think we can use our welcome-home ceremony to give them a head start. Killing two birds with one stone, right?"

The sisters had agreed readily to this proposition.

Presently, Ruby and Yang were facing their father and uncle, each side grinning like hyenas about to engage in battle.

Although they'd left their real weapons back at Beacon for safekeeping, Ruby was still equipped with a large scythe. Qrow had presented it to her back at the house, procuring it from a small shed. Ruby had eagerly accepted it with an embrace and a squeal.

Qrow had explained to Weiss and Blake in their past visits that this had been the prototype for Crescent Rose, and similar prototypes of Ember Celica were presented to Yang.

"Of course there aren't many updates on them," he'd said. "So they're not nearly as good as the originals. But for all intents and purposes here, they'll do just fine."

Qrow and TaiYang were currently equipped with their own weapons – respectively another oversized silver sword, and brass knuckles that looked as though they could splinter a mountain.

They would be competing in teams for the welcome-home battle, boys versus girls.

They'd made sure to set Weiss, Blake, and Zwei far off atop a small hill where the effects of the battle wouldn't put them at risk. Weiss currently watched as the two pairs seemed to size one another up, twirling scythes or cracking knuckles.

Then, without a warning, there was some unspoken cue to begin.

To Weiss' surprise, Ruby charged straight for her father, and Yang for their uncle. Previous experience had told them that scythe against scythe was a bit of a struggle, so they'd decided to change up the close and long-ranged weapons.

Ruby swung at her father with a yell, arching the prototype scythe in a clean arc. TaiYang blocked it almost with ease, catching the sharp blade directly on one of his brass knuckles. With a shove, he pushed her back, but she leapt upward before her back could collide with a nearby tree.

TaiYang wasted no time in using his environment to his advantage. With a few swings of his overpowered fists, he brought down several dead trees, which cracked and shattered like small earthquakes.

Weiss and Blake both jumped a bit, startled by the destructive brute force. In the past, they'd seen this family ritual performed in open fields where the worst that ever happened was a bit of rumbling from the earth. But this was the first time either needed to experience it in the midst of a forest.

Their hearts leapt a bit, and Weiss slid closer to her teammate as she watched TaiYang lift up one of the trees with his bare hands and swing around it as though it were a twig.

Despite the girls' slight trembling, Zwei had jumped up on the log beside them to bark excitedly and cheer on his family.

TaiYang swung at his youngest daughter, though he was laughing merrily as he did so. Likewise, Ruby was giggling like a schoolgirl as she landed on the trunk of the tree he was holding. She utilized her incredible semblance and darted forward, running along the length of the trunk until she was just an inch away from him. She bent down and was still for a brief second, just long enough to affectionately kiss his nose.

Then, she was swinging her scythe directly at him.

He vanished before she could blink, however, and the tree she'd been standing on fell unsupported to the ground.

Ruby caught sight of her father who was slipping into the trees. Ruby gave chase, slicing down every dead tree that got in her path.

Meanwhile, Yang was playing a similar game with their uncle.

The pair had since cut down as many trees as their partners had. Qrow had positioned four trees to fall so they would create a square barrier of sorts around him. Once Yang jumped in, they had their own arena of sorts.

The man swung his scythe, leaping high above her and performing many impressive turns in midair. Yang took the chance to slam her fists into the ground, causing it to rupture slightly. Her uncle needed to call off his intended attack and focus on landing somewhere else, unless he wanted to risk a broken leg.

Yang proceeded to use the trunks of the trees surrounding her to kick off and meet her uncle in the air where she threw a parry of punches at him. Somehow – though it was nearly unfathomable to the audience – Qrow managed to dodge or block the blows even in midair.

As the pair descended, he let go of his scythe with one hand and managed to grab Yang's wrist. As soon as his feet touched solid ground, he flung her sideways into the woods. Yang stopped herself by burying a fist into a tree trunk, then threw her had back to get the hair out of her face and smirked before charging back in.

The destructive – and yet somehow friendly – battle continued on as such for several minutes. On occasion, the teams would switch opponents, or tag-team one person.

But no matter who was fighting whom, a few things always stayed the same throughout: there was always a tree falling somewhere, somehow, and Weiss and Blake were continuously gasping or holding their breaths.

It wasn't long before nearly every tree had been cut down, littering the forest floor in massive dead trunks and chunks of debris. Branches and roots reached up to the skies, shattered and meaningless now, except to be used as stepping stones for the fighters.

The fighting continued, the battle sometimes appearing to lean toward the sisters' side, and others the mens'.

Ruby and Yang's skills had improved immensely since the last time they'd done this, and their relatives could certainly notice as much.

Weiss and Blake had to remember that the girls weren't using their own real weapons, and they were both still recovering a bit from the recent fight on Beacon's grounds as well.

They also noticed that both men seemed a bit more exhausted than they had been in previous family matches.

For a moment, it almost looked as though the girls might pull out their first victory ever.

But it wasn't a minute later when Qrow and TaiYang seemed to decide this had gone on long enough.

Ruby was facing her uncle now, and when she charged him, all it took was a smooth swing of his scythe to block hers and put her off balance. Then, he simply extended his foot and-

" _Oof!_ "

Ruby tumbled headfirst into the ground, dropping her weapon and any shred of grace she might've had until now. Weiss slapped a hand to her face so hard that it echoed.

"What a _complete_ dunce..."

Blake was holding back a snicker to herself, having long-since closed the book in her lap. Her ears perked up when she caught sight of Yang, whooping and hollering as she flew at her father like a charging boar.

He threw a feint at her, faking her out with a punch and causing her to jump back directly into a tree. He slammed another punch into the bark just above her head, though he was careful not to dare touch a single strand of her hair.

She was cornered, and Yang knew it was over. She hung her head and sighed as she put her hands up as though she were being arrested.

"Alright, ya got me."

TaiYang smiled as he withdrew his arm and tugged off his brass knuckles. He patted Yang's shoulder and laughed aloud.

"That's my girl. You never cease to amaze me, Yang. You lasted at least a minute longer than last time. Both of you did," he called over to his youngest.

Qrow was helping Ruby out of the dirt, and she turned her face and spat mud from her lips.

"Really?" she slurred. "One whole minute?"

"Well, forty-eight seconds," her uncle replied. "But close enough."

"Hey, that's pretty good!" she cheered.

"Yes," said TaiYang. "You've both made great improvements in both the execution of your techniques and your skills in general. I can see by your performance just how well Beacon has taught you both since last time. Although, you could still both do with a bit more strategy planning."

"Right."

"Got'cha."

The four of them put away their weapons and began stepping over the carnage and what was left of the forest, heading for the ridge.

"Welp," Yang was saying. "At least we helped the town with the deforestation stuff!"

"Just you guys wait!" Ruby chirped. "One day we'll get to fight you guys with our _real_ weapons! I mean, the prototypes are still awesome and all, but we've upgraded Crescent Rose and Ember Celica so much over the years! You'd hardly even recognize them!"

By this time, the four of them had made their way up the hill to where Weiss and Blake were sitting. Zwei jumped up and darted over to his masters, yipping excitedly to tell them he'd thoroughly enjoyed the show.

The two girls, on the other hand, were still a bit blown away, their hair frazzled by the sharp breezes that had resulted from so many fallen trees in so little time. Weiss was trembling slightly, and Blake's ears were flat, her mouth slightly ajar as she looked the messy sisters over.

Ruby and Yang were covered in dirt and grime as well as a few cuts that their auras were already healing. But they both wore wide grins and laughed happily.

Ruby scooped up Zwei and snuggled him into her chest while Yang made a casual declaration, as though she hadn't just uprooted half a forest.

"Alright! Let's hit the beach!"

* * *

Shortly after the friendly family battle, Qrow and TaiYang left the girls and returned to the house to get some work done, wishing them a fun day of vacation.

Ruby and Yang took their partners on a little walk outside the forest, back toward civilization. Even from here the scent of the sea was strong in the air, and it served to make the anticipation all the more poignant.

But there was one matter of business they needed to see to first.

As Yang led them along the sidewalks, skirting little shops and food stands, she finally paused in front of one particular shop and gave the announcement.

"Bathing suits~!"

The store she'd paused in front of was a clothing store, up-to-date with mannequins all garbed up in the latest seasonal trends. The blonde's grin never faded as she looped an arm around both Weiss' and Blake's shoulders and pulled them toward the doors.

Ruby already had the bathing suit she wanted to wear today packed inside the bag on her arm, so she opted to stay outside with Zwei. She sat on a bench with him, petting his ears and scratching his belly, and whenever a passing dog walker would come by, the both of them would excitedly jump up and ask to pet and play.

Meanwhile, inside the shop, it didn't take the other three too long to choose bathing suits.

Well, at least Blake and Yang had made their selections fairly quickly, but Weiss was hesitant.

"What's the point?" she said. "We're only going to be using them for a few days. We won't have much need to wear them again after this vacation."

"Aww, c'mon, Weiss! Live a little~ It's not like money is the issue, right?"

"Of course not. I just..." She sighed. "It's a shame we won't get to use them as frequently as we might like to."

Blake smiled a little and reached out to tap the heiress' arm.

"Well, we did all sign up to go to Beacon to learn how to fight, not swim, right? But we're going to be graduating soon. So after that, maybe we'll all have a bit more free time to spend together every now and again."

By the end of her little speech, she'd gotten Weiss to smile as well.

"Plus," Yang put in. "You'll probably wanna be wearing a suit in case ya get splashed. Or just flat-out thrown into the ocean."

Weiss flicked her on the nose.

"You wouldn't dare."

Eventually, they convinced the heiress to make a purchase, but they didn't waste time in the changing rooms. They returned to Ruby and Zwei, who were just saying goodbye to a pair of poodles.

Their group reconvened and they followed Yang once again toward the source of the salty breeze.

Plenty of other tourists had already gathered on the beach, considering the hotter temperature that day. From their respective handbags, the girls pulled out pairs of flip-flops to traverse the sand in.

There was a small bathhouse at the place where the sand met concrete sidewalks, and they all slipped inside to take turns getting changed in the stalls.

Yang's bathing suit was a typical bikini, both parts yellow and swirled with orange flames with plenty of open space to show off her impressive muscles. She kept her hair down, which served to cover a few of the leftover bruises from the battle at Beacon that were still healing.

Blake's suit was a purple bikini top while the bottom half was black. She'd also chosen a long black skirt with a slit up to her right hip to cover her legs a bit, as they'd gotten a few cuts in the battle. Her hair had been cut a bit over the years, but it still reached midway down her back now, a dark contrast to her paler skin.

Weiss' suit was a pale blue, exposing a bit of her smooth stomach, and then became a skirt-like bottom with small frills down to her thighs. She ultimately decided to tie her loose hair back up into a ponytail, as she was already feeling quite warm.

Ruby's suit was one she'd kept for a few years now, but it still fit her just fine. Despite her age, she still loved wearing the red one-piece suit with a frilled black skirt. It was very fitting for her figure, but most importantly, it gave her elder sister some peace of mind; the day Yang had to see Ruby choose a two-piece suit would probably conflict her beyond reason.

They admired each other's selections for a minute or so before Ruby noticed something. She zipped over to Weiss and slung an arm around her partner's shoulders.

"Hey, we match! Just like old times, right? Combat suits!" she said proudly, referring to their skirts. Weiss rolled her eyes, but the others actually chuckled.

Once ready, they took their bags and headed for the beach.

The sand was a bit too much for Zwei to handle with his stubby legs, so Ruby picked him up and carried him on her shoulder. Thankfully, it was a dog-friendly beach and there would be plenty of friends for the corgi to play with as the girls lounged.

Several large umbrellas that belong to the beach had been set up every few dozen feet or so, and since the girls hadn't brought their own, they chose to settle underneath one of those. They spread out their towels and weighed them down with their bags as they discussed which things to do first.

Yang's suggestion of "throwin' people into the water" was quickly accepted by Ruby and rejected by Weiss, while Blake abstained.

They left their things on the towels merely to saunter up to the water together to test the temperature, though Weiss stayed a good ten feet away from Yang as she dipped her toes into the foam.

Ruby, on the other hand, had decided it was warm enough, and begged her sister to toss her in.

"Please please pleeeease?" She clasped her hands together and bounced in place, silver eyes wide like saucers.

Yang gladly gave in.

"Well, I can't say no to that face!"

"Are you sure?" Weiss said. "I don't think it's a very safe-"

"What's that, princess? Can't hear ya way over there," Yang called out over the crashing waves.

Without wasting another second, she grabbed her sister's wrist and led Ruby in until they were knee-deep. From there, Yang scooped the brunette into her arms with ease and waited for a wave to come. As one formed in front of them, she braced herself.

"Ready?"

"Yeah!"

As soon as the wave rose up, Yang tossed her sister forward. Ruby curled herself into a ball and gave a cry of delight just before she splashed into the wave. Water splattered everywhere as she disappeared for a moment, during which time Weiss dared to wade closer to the blonde girl.

"Your family's customs will never cease to worry me."

"Seriously," Blake mumbled from Yang's other side. "But I guess as long as she enjoys it..."

"Exactly~" Yang beamed. "Oh, heads up!"

The wave was currently dragging her sister out a little farther only to reform again. Ruby popped up on top and gave an excited squeal as she found herself body surfing.

Unfortunately for Weiss, her partner was coming directly at her.

There was only enough time for a few shrieks and failed attempts to avoid one another before the wave knocked them together like wet rag dolls. There was a split second where both of them disappeared beneath the surface, and Blake gave a small gasp.

But it wasn't long before the water receded and revealed the disheveled pair.

Weiss had been knocked down onto her back and presently pushed herself up, sputtering as she shook sand and water off of herself, bathing suit ruffled and pristine hair ruined and tangled with sand. Ruby had flopped onto her stomach a few feet away and quickly sat up, spitting sand.

Yang was already doubled over in laughter, while Blake made an effort to be a bit more tactful. She went to her discombobulated and waterlogged teammates and helped them up one by one.

"Are you guys okay?"

" _Peachy_ ," Weiss huffed, coughing up a mouthful of salt water. "Where are the showers?"

However, Ruby seemed unfazed by the incident and was shaking herself off like a dog.

"That was pretty cool! It's been a while since I body-surfed!"

For a moment, Blake helped Weiss wring out her hair a bit and made sure they were both alright. By that time, Zwei had waddled up to the water and excitedly jumped into the shallows.

Yang decided to make amends for her laughing at Weiss earlier, so she escorted the begrudging heiress to the showers at the end of the beach.

Blake stayed with Ruby and Zwei, splashing in the ankle-deep water. They avoided the more powerful waves, as Blake feared Zwei would be swept out to sea. But she soon discovered the little dog was actually a very strong swimmer, surely the undisputed master of the doggie paddle.

They stayed in the same general area for a while and collected little sea shells. Ruby sat down in the sand and built a small castle, which Blake then decorated with their findings.

By the time Weiss and Yang had returned, they'd built a sculpture over a foot high, surrounded by shells of all shapes and sizes. Weiss had successfully washed all of the sand out of her clothes and hair, but the showers had naturally served to coat her in even more water than the waves had.

To help them all dry off or warm up, Yang led them back a ways to where the sand leveled out a bit and where there were no people sitting. Several volleyball nests were set up there, with soft balls stored in a nearby shed. Ruby darted off to fetch one as the others decided on pairs to play in.

They started off with Ruby and Yang versing Blake and Weiss. While the sisters had grown up on this beach and had played volleyball together for many childhood years, the others gave them a run for their money.

Weiss was incredibly fast and very accurate with deflecting the ball, and Blake had a way of aiming her hits so the ball would always land extremely close to the opposite side of the net.

Despite the sisters' combined efforts, their partners beat them in their match.

When it came time to switch teams, Yang called out for Blake.

"Come to my side, partner!"

"Not so fast," Weiss grunted. "You need all the help you can get, Yang. Your technique is atrocious."

Weiss paired up with the blonde this time around, leaving Ruby and Blake together.

The latter pair ended up being victorious this time, mostly because Weiss and Yang spent precious seconds trying to instruct one another on how to hit, just long enough for the ball to meet the sand on their side.

At last, they took their respective partners.

By the third match, Weiss and Ruby were no longer wet from their little dip in the ocean. All four of them were sweating quite a bit.

Blake and Yang tied their hair up into ponytails as they caught their breath. Ruby was cracking her fingers and wearing a wide smirk.

"Sorry, but you guys are goin' down~"

"We'll see about that," Yang replied.

That final match ended up being the longest and most intense for all of them. Whenever one pair scored, the other would get the point back almost immediately.

Zwei was sitting on the sidelines to watch, but before long he wasn't the only spectator to the match. A lot of passerby or people who were sitting on the beach turned to watch for a bit of entertainment.

The girls didn't let up as they played, hair flowing out in streams behind them as sand was kicked up at their feet. The high-speed match went on for nearly twenty minutes, until all four girls were panting.

"Alright!" Ruby called out. "I think that's it!" She plopped down in the sand and let out a big sigh.

"I hear ya!" Yang agreed, collapsing with just as little grace as her sister.

Blake and Weiss put their hands to their knees as they caught their breath. The Faunus girl cleared her throat and spoke up.

"We're tied... aren't we?"

"Yes," Weiss nodded. "But I think it's best... we just leave it at that, don't you?"

The rest readily agreed.

Once they'd recovered, Ruby put the ball back into the little shed and the four of them headed back to their umbrella with Zwei.

After that, Blake and Yang opted to stick to the shade on their towels. The blonde put on her sunglasses and stretched out, announcing she intended to take a nap. Blake settled down with a book and let herself cool down, heat still wafting off her dark ears and hair.

Ruby managed to convince Weiss to come down to the water with her and Zwei again. The heiress followed her partner, now able to enjoy the view a bit more without the potential risk of being thrown in hovering behind her.

The water reflected the blueness of the sky, shimmering brightly under then unobstructed sunlight. The pair went for a little walk along the water's edge as Zwei trotted on ahead.

At one point, Weiss spotted dolphins in the distance, and Ruby very nearly tried to jump in so she could join them twenty miles out. Weiss needed to keep a tight hold on her wrist to prevent her from actually doing so.

They stopped a few times to pet a few of the other dogs and have some conversations with the owners.

After about an hour of such leisure, Weiss realized with an aghast expression that Ruby hadn't put on sunblock and dragged her back to the umbrella.

"Either put some on or stay in the shade," Weiss demanded. "Honestly, you are such a dunce. Don't come crying to me when you get sunburn."

"I woooon't!" Ruby giggled. "But I'll stay in the shade now, I think. I'm kinda tired."

Once she reached her sister and Blake, she realized Yang was asleep already. Blake welcomed them back softly and made room for them in the shade.

As Ruby laid down and cuddled up with Zwei, Weiss applied more sunscreen on herself before lying back on her own towel, making sure not to touch a single grain of sand.

With the sounds of the merry beach-goers and the calming chorus of the distant waves drifting toward them on the warm breeze, they closed their eyes and rested a bit.

It was about an hour or so later when the four of them roused themselves and started to pack up their things to head for home.

"Well," Yang was saying as she stuffed her towel into her bag. "I hope you girls had fun today. I know I did!"

"Me, too!" Ruby cheered.

"I had a good time," Blake added.

"It definitely could have been worse," Weiss affirmed.

Once ready, they fell into step beside one another and headed back across the beach, with Zwei hanging over Ruby's shoulder once more.

"Hope you had fun, boy," Ruby said, kissing his nose. He barked and licked her cheek in return.

As they walked slowly back home, Yang started to list off the other things they could do for their remaining vacation days.

"There's a big park with a lot of little hiking trails and gardens and stuff! And then there's the zoo and the aquarium and the amusement park. And if it rains one day, there's always the movies!"

"That all sounds invigorating," Weiss commented. "But first, before we go deciding what to do for the rest of the break, I'd like to shower."

"And eat!" Ruby put in.

"And sleep," Blake added.

Yang grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, all that sounds pretty great right about now," she agreed. "And let's not forget Weiss' video game rematch!"

They walked the thirty minutes back to the Rose-Xiao Long residence and greeted Qrow and TaiYang with exhausted, but happy smiles.

While Weiss claimed the first shower, the others helped to start preparing dinner. Whenever one girl had finished in the bathroom, they'd swap places with someone in the kitchen until at last everyone was free of salt and sand, and supper was ready.

The six of them sat in the kitchen this time at the large circular table. They chatted and laughed warmly, in such a way that made all of them feel at home, whether it was their house or not.

After the meal and cleaning up dishes, the girls retreated to the basement to play some games together.

Zwei was the first to fall asleep on the floor, and it wasn't long before Ruby had curled up in the pillows beside him.

Weiss nodded off on the couch, and Blake closed her book and followed shortly afterward.

Yang stretched out beside her sister, intending to just close her eyes for a moment before waking the rest of them up to have them head upstairs to bed. But it wasn't long before she was unconscious as well.

The sounds of gentle breathing and soft snoring filled the room as the team rested and recharged after their well-deserved day of fun.

Qrow and TaiYang peered down to check on them, but upon realizing they were already asleep, let them be.

The four girls slept soundly those nights, and had great fun every day afterward.

It would surely be a bit difficult to head back to school in a few days, but until then they savored this little getaway.

The homely atmosphere of the house in Patch and the familiar scene of their dorm room back at Beacon were both home, as far as the girls were concerned.

Anyplace could be, so long as they had each other.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this little fic! I would've gone into more of the events of their vacation, but I didn't want this to drag too much. I'm sure you can imagine all the kinds of things they did and the places they went together~**

 **Again, remember this was written before I knew any canon information about the series in volume 3, so the ways Qrow and TaiYang act or speak could very well be inaccurate. Please just don't give me a hard time about it!**

 **And it looks like this little series of Zwei-related fics might not be over just yet! Keep on the lookout for a bit more!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


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